Rosana Eckert Sailing Home

Rosana Eckert
Sailing Home
OA2 Records

Texas-based vocalist and songwriter Rosana Eckert collaborated with her renowned New York composer/singer friend Peter Eldridge to produce "Sailing Home." Eckert is joined by a simpatico band including Corey Christiansen on guitar, bassist Young Heo, and drummer Steve Barnes, plus special guests. Rosana Eckert grew up in the Bordertown of El Paso, Texas and later attended North Texas State University on a scholarship based on her French Horn playing. On a lark, she auditioned to the University of North Texas Jazz Singers, the school's premier jazz vocal ensemble. She eventually became section leader, lead soprano, featured soloist, and arranger, later singing with the school’s One O’Clock Lab Band and various other ensembles. She earned a Masters in Jazz Studies and was hired as the school's first private jazz voice teacher. At the same time, she had a parallel career as a working musician in nearby Dallas, performing with her own jazz band and doing commercial singing and voiceover work. She also began writing her own songs and recorded three albums.

"Sailing Home", her fourth album is her first in nine-year and is hard to pigeon-hole as a jazz vocal recording. It has a definite pop flavor infused with her honey-toned jazz leanings. The is a bright and perky spirit to the opening "Sailing Home" with its bubbly rhythm. Dedicated to her husband Gary, "Garby the Great" is a charming song of her love for him with some delightful scatting. Set to a reggae groove "Waiting" is a homage to pregnant women in waiting rooms waiting for their doctors. Ginny Mac provides the attractive accordion that engages in a call and response with Eckert's "la la la" scatting on this lighthearted performance that illustrates her beautiful, melodic voice along with clean diction and relaxed delivery of lyrics.

Other notable performances include "Coriander Stomp" has a roots-rock tone with a hint of New Orleans in the groove and is a showcase for guitarist Christiansen who has a tinge of twang with his jazzy single note runs. "Empty Room" has a heartbreaking lyric conveyed by her moving wistful performance. Set against a bossa nova groove, "Lovely Ever After," is a song dedicated to her daughter who was four when Eckert wrote it. It is an endearing and spirited performance with a wonderful vocal along with Daniel Pardo's winsome alto flute. "For Good" was inspired by a character on the TV show "Mad Men" who committed endless infidelity. It opens as a duet with bassist Heo with the other players eventually filling out the understated accompaniment.

Rosana Eckert sings of love, friendships and hopes on an exquisite recording that enchants listeners with Rosana Eckert's lovely, nuanced vocals and the apt and supportive accompaniment. "Sailing Home" is a jazz-pop gem.

I received my review copy from a publicist. This review appeared in the November-December 2019 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 367). Here is Rosana performing "For Good" as part of a NPR Tiny Desk Concert.

Bob Mintzer Big Band - New York Voices Meeting of Minds

Bob Mintzer Big Band - New York Voices
Meeting of Minds
MCGJazz

This new recording represents "the integration of voices with [Mintzer's] Big Band," and is a wonderful success as Mintzer (on various reeds) leads a big band that includes Bob Shepard on Alto Saxophone, Roger Rosenberg on baritone sax, Scott Wendholt on trumpet, Jeff Bush on trombone, Phil Markowitz on piano, Jay Anderson on bass, and John Riley on drums, with the celebrated vocal group, New York Voices who are comprised of Kim Nazarian, Lauren Kinhan, Damon Meader and Peter Eldridge. Mintzer arranged all but two of the band arrangements with Meader arranging all of the vocal arrangements and two (one with Eldridge) of the band arrangements.

The arrangements provide a freshness to the very well known standards heard here starting with "Autumn Leaves," with lovely lead vocals from Nazarian and Kinhan wonderfully supported by the band and then the Voices scatting make turn them into an additional horn section during the middle break with pianist Markowitz standing out. Eldridge takes the lead vocal on "I Concentrate on You," with the Voices adding with their vocal harmony as well as vocal interplay another fresh touch with Rosenberg adding a burly baritone sax solo. The instrumental rendition of "I Want to Be Happy" again sports a superb band arrangement before terrific solos by Wendholt and Markowitz with a crisp drum break by Riley. Eldridge is on piano as well takes the lead vocal on "I Get Along Without You Very Well," with the scoring of the reeds (with flutes and clarinet) providing a sober atmosphere for this performance. Again the vocal arrangement and the integration with the big band is exemplary.

I could similarly rave about the leads of Nazarian and Eldridge on "The Way You Like Tonight," or the creativity of Mintzer in his band arrangement (also his tenor sax solo), or Mintzer's entrancing original "Weird Blues," another instrumental with  unusual voicings (especially of the trombones) with him and Rosenberg taking strong solos along with bassist Anderson. Then there is Mintzer's employment of muted trumpets on "Speak Low," along with the strong propulsive swing of the band. "Meeting of the Minds" is a superb meeting of a terrific big band with the wonderful New York Voices, resulting in an extraordinary recording.

I received my review copy from a publicist. This review appeared in the July-August 2018 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 379). Here is the performance of "Autumn Leaves."

Jeremy Siskind Housewarming

Jeremy Siskind's "Housewarming" (BJU Records) is the second recording featuring the songs and piano of Siskind along with vocalist Nancy Harms and the woodwinds of Lucas Pino. This particular setting provides for the intimate rendition of original sings by Siskind with Pino's woodwinds coloring the vocals, which are mostly by Harms. There are four covers among the 13 songs here, The trio has also taken to the road performing a number of house concerts. On this recording there are also vocals by Kendra Shank, Kurt Elling and Peter Eldridge.

The publicity material observes that "[t]hemes of domesticity reverberate throughout the album, which reflects on what it means to have a place where you belong, a theme that Siskind grapples with often." The title track, sung by Peter Eldridge perhaps most immediately is an example of this, but there are so many marvelous performances including "New Old West Theme," a lovely duet by Eldridge and Harms as they sing about the sharing of the home and their lives together.

Harms, the main vocalist charms with an oft understated, almost whispery delivery, although more than capable of singing in a more extroverted style. Its a delight to listen to her phrasing, her dynamics and her marvelous pitch, but that can be said about all the singers here. The opening "Whispering Grass" is enchanting as is her rendition of "Moonlight in Vermont." Elling's vocal adds to the charm of "Light," with Pino's tenor sax adding color the vocal as well as take a solo that displays his robust tone and attack, and also the restraint he plays with. "Hymn of Thanks" is a marvelous ballad that coveys the gratefulness of having a home where one belongs," with Pino's adding another robust, restrained tenor sax solo.

Siskind's generally provides spare, deft backing (although he does showcase his technique on occasion here) with Pino providing buttery bass clarinet (listen to his interplay with Siskind on the opening "Whispering Glass"), lovely clarinet (which opens and helps add to the lovely "Moonlight in Vermont"), and tenor saxophone. The accompaniments contribute to the warmth and charm of "Homecoming," which is a marvelous recording to sit back and simply savor like an after dinner cordial.

I received my review copy from a publicist.  Here is a performance by Siskind, Harms and Pino.